Technologies

9 hidden Amazon Prime perks that can save you money and make your life easier

There’s more to your membership than Prime Video and fast shipping.

Amazon is a go-to for almost anything, especially during the pandemic. A few clicks and less two days later, what you need is at your door. But on top of fast shipping, Prime Video and Prime Music, for Amazon Prime members, the trillion-dollar tech titan has dozens of services only a few clicks away. Some of the other less familiar perks buried in the vastness of Amazon’s site. We’re here to help pick the best of the bunch so you don’t get lost in the search tool.

Amazon expanded its sphere during the pandemic — visits to its site reportedly increased by 37% from February 2020 to January 2021 — as it pushed new programs, including Amazon Sidewalk, the auto-on broadband-sharing program for Amazon Echo speakers and Ring devices. But its shopping experience continues to be its bread and butter.

But avid Amazon customers may not know about a few of the hidden deals and discounts that aren’t advertised as much. Prime members can get free books and save big books if they know where to look. We’ve hacked through Amazon’s jungle of services to find the most useful (and surprising) Amazon programs that you can use today.

1. Over 2,500 free books and magazines using Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited

Prime Reading is your own personal lending library that comes with a Prime membership. With a rotating selection of over 2,500 books and magazines, you can access Prime Reading with the Kindle app on your desktop or portable device or your Kindle e-reader. This Amazon service also lets you share titles with members of your household. Some books in Prime Reading come with Audible narrations so you can multitask while you listen.

Prime Reading also includes First Reads, which gives members a sneak peek at books before they’re released to the general public.

Kindle Unlimited is a $10-a-month subscription service separate from an Amazon Prime account. It gives you unlimited access to more than 1 million ebooks and up to three magazine subscriptions on a Kindle device or Kindle app.

2. Trade in used devices for gift cards and get discounts for preowned products

Amazon is boarding the train to sustainability station, and it’s something you can directly benefit from. With Amazon Trade-In, you can send back your used electronics in exchange for Amazon gift cards. Make sure to check on the eligibility of each product — some trade-in options are only available for a limited time.

Amazon Renewed gives you access to products that may have been opened but unused by their original owners, or were refurbished. Amazon assures that these preowned items work and look like new, coming with the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. A variety of products and brands are available, even from premium names like Apple and Vitamix.

3. Find Amazon Warehouse discounts

Amazon Warehouse resells millions of like-new or preowned items that have been returned by customers. Some of the products only had their boxes opened by original purchasers before they were sent back, unused, so they’re resold at a discount. While there’s no regular manufacturing warranty on these products, they are backed by Amazon’s 30-day return policy and 90-day renewed item return policy.

To read more about how you can get the most out of Amazon Warehouse, check out our guide on shopping for the best Amazon Warehouse deals.

4. Sift through overstocked items in Amazon Outlet

Just like a brick-and-mortar outlet store, but without the gas money. The Amazon Outlet features overstocked items and other products at discounted prices. Like at an outlet, you can find premium brands, items under $10 and products ranging from home furniture and clothing to books and pet supplies. It’s a good place to stay within a budget while being the first owner, unlike some items in the Amazon Warehouse.

Keep in mind that although the online shopping experience is convenient, just like an outlet, the best deals can take sifting to find. Luckily, you can do it from the couch.

5. Land limited-time discounts through Lightning Deals

Amazon’s Lightning Deals are a promotion where a product or service is on sale for a short period of time or until it’s sold out. You can find them all throughout the site, but especially on Prime Day and in Today’s Deals. On Prime Day, Lightning Deals are only for Prime members.

There is one lightning deal per customer until the promotion ends or all the deals are claimed by other shoppers. You can join a waitlist for a deal, but keep in mind that these discounts are extremely time-sensitive, so grab them fast. Unless refreshing the page over and over is your thing, these deals aren’t necessarily the tool to find something specific because of their fleeting nature and limited availability.

6. 5GB of photo storage with Amazon Photos

Amazon’s online shoebox for photos and videos offers secure and unlimited full-resolution photo storage plus 5GB of video for Prime members. To use this feature, you can choose to manually or automatically upload media in the Amazon Photos app. You can personalize the displays on Amazon devices like Fire TV, Echo Show and Fire tablets as long as you have the app. There are also ways to create keepsakes using the pictures you upload, such as custom cards and prints.

With the Family Vault perk, up to five family members can share in the same plan. If you want more beyond what Prime offers, there are paid plans available. If you choose to switch — which can be done anytime — there is a 100GB option for $2 per month and 1TB plan for $7 per month.

7. Share Prime benefits with loved ones using Amazon Household

Sharing is caring, and Amazon Household lets you extend access to Prime benefits and digital content with others. Using Household, share your Prime account with:

Up to two adults, each with their own Amazon account. Adults can manage accounts of teens and children.
Up to four teens (ages 13 through 17). Teens can have their own Amazon login to stream content and shop with parent approval.
Up to four children (children can’t shop on Amazon).

8. Get discounts on Whole Foods hauls

Healthy shopping can rack up the number at the bottom of the receipt. But if you enter your email address, phone number or scan the QR code on your Whole Foods Market app at checkout during your next grocery haul, Prime members receive discounts on select products.

Blue tags indicate sales exclusive to Prime members, while yellow tags mean an extra 10% off of an item already on sale. This gets you discounts on weekly bestsellers, including produce, packaged goods and beauty products, but note that it excludes alcohol. The few cents saved on items may seem insignificant individually, but savings do add up at the end of the shopping trip.

Also, if you don’t want to make the trip across town, Amazon offers two-hour delivery of groceries for free, as long as you meet the minimum purchase amount. But if you don’t mind the drive, there are also one-hour pickup windows depending on your location — just remember to check in with the Amazon app to see if you need to enter the store.

9. Handpick a wish list with Prime’s wedding registry

If the big day is coming up, Amazon’s wedding registry can get a gift wish list set up for everything from daily essentials to group presents. Amazon can help you cover all the gifting bases, and that makes it a convenient option for you and your wedding guests.

The registry includes lists of editors’ picks and bestsellers to help you sort through Amazon’s options, while the browsing feature can inspire new ideas or highlight something you may have forgotten about. You can also buy any item that’s left on the registry for 20% off — which can be returned within 180 days if you decide you don’t like it.

For more, here are our picks for the best Alexa devices and which e-reader is right for you.

Technologies

Samsung Pauses One UI 7 Rollout After Bug Locks Users Out of Phones

One UI 7 was designed to showcase Samsung’s AI ambitions, but a bug now appears to be getting in the way of momentum.

Samsung has paused the global rollout of its AI-driven One UI interface after a bug prevented some customers from unlocking their phones. The pause, flagged earlier by frequent Samsung leaker Ice Universe, appears to have affected Samsung Galaxy S24 models receiving the update in South Korea. People who upgraded to One UI 7 (aka Android 15) reported repeated issues unlocking their phones.

The company has since pulled the update across all Galaxy models and regions, likely as a precautionary measure. Samsung told CNET that the software’s «new timing and availability will be shared shortly.»

«The One UI 7 rollout schedule is being updated to ensure the best possible experience,» Samsung added.

Samsung began rolling out the One UI 7 update to Galaxy phones and tablets on April 7, starting with the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. Other devices were expected to follow soon.

One UI 7 introduces a redesigned interface built around AI, offering people more personalization and control. The software uses artificial intelligence to help edit videos, write messages and suggest places to go for dinner.

The move comes as tech companies race to embed more AI features into mobile devices, turning them into smarter personal assistants that can help complete everyday tasks.

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at market research firm Creative Insights, noted that most consumers are still only experimenting with AI and not buying devices based on its promise.

«While I am sure Samsung could have done without the bug, I doubt this will have a long-term impact on Galaxy AI uptake or consumers’ interest in Samsung,» she told CNET. «Better pull the update than disjoint customers with an experience that is not great.»

Technologies

Best Cheap iPhone 16 Case? These Two $10 Transparent MagSafe Cases Stand Out

If you don’t want to spend a lot on a new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro case, these cases from Caseology and ESR are among the best budget cases I’ve tested.

Thanks to the fluid situation with tariffs and the uncertainty about future iPhone pricing, a lot of folks have been rushing out to buy new iPhone 16 models lately, including my father, who picked up an iPhone 16 Pro Max this past weekend. With that in mind, I recently updated our list of best iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro cases and saw that one of my favorite budget iPhone 16 cases, the Caseology Capella Mag Kickstand, was on sale for $10 or 33% off its list price of $15.

Caseology makes a few decent budget cases that cost $10, including the Athlex Mag

, Nano Pop Mag, Nano Pop Kickstand and Capella Mag. Its Capella Mag Kickstand is one of the cheaper transparent MagSafe cases I’ve seen, with a built-in kickstand that retracts into the case when not in use so you can attach MagSafe accessories. The case is available for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max but isn’t available for the standard iPhone 16. However, the Capella Mag (without an integrated kickstand) is available for the iPhone 16 for $10.

Another good budget iPhone 16 case option is ESR’s transparent Classic Hybrid case, which is also on sale for less than $10. I like ESR’s Stash Stand case ($21), which features a built-in retractable camera protection ring that turns into a kickstand. But the more basic Classic Hybrid costs less than half the price. I should note the case has an integrated touch-sensitive cover for the iPhone 16’s camera control button. The Caselogy Capella Mag Kickstand has a cutout in the case that exposes the button. I tend to prefer the touch-sensitive cover.

There’s nothing fancy or terribly unique about these sub-$10 cases, but they’re slim and offer decent protection. True, more premium brands like Otterbox and Speck may hold up better over time (these budget transparent cases now have anti-yellowing UV protection, though I find it isn’t always effective). That said, some people have a hard time spending $40 to $50 on a case — and I don’t blame them.

Technologies

Apple Reportedly Planning New Vision Pro Models, Prioritizing Meta Ray-Ban Glasses Rival

The Meta AI-style glasses would serve as a placeholder until Apple can deliver more advanced AR eyewear, a new report suggests.

Apple is developing two new models of its Vision Pro headset, according to a report: one that’s expected to be lighter and more affordable than the original, and another designed to tether with Macs. Despite sluggish demand, the company remains focused on creating versions of the AR/VR headset with broader mainstream appeal, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The lower-cost Vision Pro will likely have a less powerful chip and scaled-back features, bringing the price down significantly from the original $3,500. It’s also expected to include an ultralow-latency system for streaming a Mac display, according to the report. And in line with previous reports, Apple is also still working on its own smart glasses equipped with cameras and microphones, similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban line.

CEO Tim Cook «cares about nothing else» more than delivering a true pair of AR glasses, calling it a «top priority,» Bloomberg said, citing an anonymous Apple engineer. But until the technology can be perfected in a way that’s comfortable and as wearable as traditional eyewear, Apple sees camera- and mic-enabled glasses as a stepping stone into the space.

This builds on earlier reports that Apple intends to channel some of the Vision Pro’s billion-dollar R&D investment in visual intelligence into future products, including smart glasses expected to launch in 2027.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In recent years, Apple has often focused on refining buzzy, existing technologies, from mixed-reality headsets to AI features. As it stands, Meta is better positioned to dominate the smart glasses category, particularly as it continues to enhance its hardware, software and growing ecosystem of services. But Cook, according to Bloomberg, is «hell-bent on creating an industry-leading product before Meta can.»

The report said the glasses would use Siri and Visual Intelligence as part of Apple’s broader Apple Intelligence AI platform. In keeping with Apple’s overall product strategy, privacy would remain a central focus.

Still, the company may face challenges in making the device as indispensable as its other products, particularly the iPhone — and at a price that’s accessible enough to drive mass adoption.

A long-term priority

Eric Abbruzzese, research director at market research firm ABI Research, called Apple’s interest in smart glasses a long-term priority.

«AR has simply proven more difficult than VR to go to market with devices that balance cost and capability,» he said. «AR as a supplement to the smartphone, similar to an Apple Watch, is a very compelling product category that is truthfully only just starting to be served appropriately.»

Glasses like Meta’s Ray-Bans show that people are interested in smart eyewear but building ones with screens still presents a major challenge, Abbruzzese said. At the same time, AR and AI are increasingly intertwined, with companies like Apple, Meta and Google designing products that blend the two. Abbruzzese described the «holy grail» product as mass-market smart glasses — an affordable, display-enabled wearable that pairs with a smartphone and uses sensors, voice input and AI agents for natural, hands-free interaction.

«The relationship between AR and AI is a significant, mutually beneficial relationship where each technology benefits from the other,» he said.